In a concerning development, the MURI / SAM Gubernatorial Campaign Council of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has raised an alarm about a potentially explosive situation brewing in the Eastern Senatorial District of Kogi State.
The campaign council has reportedly alerted top security officials to a planned attack on Fulani settlements, seemingly aimed at igniting ethnic strife in the region ahead of the governorship elections scheduled for November 11, 2023.
In a formal petition submitted to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Director-General of the Department of State Security (DGDSS), the campaign council, represented by its legal counsel, Realwan Okpanachi Esq, urgently called for increased protection for Fulani communities across the Eastern Senatorial District.
The petition alleges a sinister plot orchestrated by the Kogi State Government, led by Mr. Yahaya Bello, to incite violence as a means to suppress votes from this critical senatorial district.
The petition specifically names Friday Makama, a notorious individual with a history of serial attacks on Fulani communities in the Igala-Mela Odolu Local Government of the state dating back to 2001, as the mastermind behind this operation.
Makama, recently appointed as the Director-General of an Illegal Directorate for the Recovery of Firearms by the state government, is allegedly tasked with deploying several groups of thugs to five targeted Local Governments this weekend.
Their mission: to attack herders and provoke retaliatory actions.
The targeted Local Governments include Omala, Dekina, Ofu, Olamaboro, and Ankpa.
These areas are significant, as they account for over 30% of the registered voters in Kogi State.
The campaign council’s petition goes on to outline a disturbing contingency plan: if the Fulani communities do not initiate reprisal attacks as intended, the government allegedly plans to hire mercenaries from various bandit groups in the North West to carry out attacks on the designated Local Governments.
Should the herders take the bait and retaliate, these mercenaries are reportedly prepared to support them in creating chaos across the region.
Moreover, it is claimed that the Bello Government has initiated discussions with the notorious Turji Bello banditry gang in Zamfara State for potential collaboration in carrying out these actions.
If the initial plot to attack Fulani settlements by local thugs succeeds this week, these mercenaries are slated to be unleashed on Kogi East in the second week of October.
The campaign council condemns this alleged plot as “most despicable and malevolent” and urges security authorities to take the threat seriously, citing Mr. Bello’s willingness to employ violence when desperate.
The petition further references recent attacks by individuals reportedly associated with Mr. Bello, wielding AK47 rifles and targeting communities in the region.
These actions have included the burning of houses, vehicles, and even campaign equipment.
In a troubling pattern of events, the State Secretariat/Campaign Headquarters was allegedly set ablaze three times, including vehicles within the compound, by Abdulraham “Little,” a Senior Special Assistant to Mr. Bello. “Little” is purportedly leading a gang of armed thugs, some of whom have been seen wearing police uniforms.
As of today, reports indicate that thugs are freely roaming Kogi in government vehicles, destroying campaign billboards across Dekina Local Government Area with no intervention.
The campaign council asserts that these acts of violence are part of Mr. Bello’s desperate strategy to provoke their supporters into retaliatory violence, allowing him to deploy thugs supported by rogue security operatives to terrorize their members.
The council’s appeal to Nigerians of conscience is clear: they urge the public to lend their voices to the cause of the endangered people of Kogi State, who face the looming threat of violence caused by a leader entrusted with their safety and security.
Source: Muritala Yakubu Ajaka/Sam Abenemi Campaign Council, Kogi State
